Tuesday, May 28, 2013

New thieving bastards

National Veterans Services Fund is the newest group asking for money from my 87-year-old mother-in-law.

I had never heard of these people, but according to a letter, NVSF supports “disabled war veterans and their families.”

Do they now.

I’d say you’re not doing a whole hell of a lot of “support” when 59.18 percent of money raised goes to fundraising, 11.39 percent to administration, 10.97 percent to “education in conjunction with fundraising,” and the remaining 18.46 percent to program services. Last fiscal year, NVSF took in $9.1 million. I’m not going to do the math, but it’s not too difficult to see the big, big difference between dollars spent on actually doing something and total dollars for fundraising/education about fundraising.

NVSF joins a different branch of The Retired Enlisted Association in begging for phone card dollars. A couple of weeks ago, TREA’s Aurora, Colo., unit wanted money for cards to give to personnel in Afghanistan. This week, a branch in Langhorne, Penn., joins in, with this:

“Right now, a Wounded American Hero in a VA Hospital is feeling forgotten and alone.”

And then: “A prepaid phone card could be the best gift you could give this summer!”

The brown and tan camouflage envelop on the back has: “U.S. Armed Forces Iraq and Afghanistan Casualty Appeal.”

What if that “Wounded American Hero” isn’t an Iraq or Afghanistan vet? Has he no “appeal?” Does he not get a prepaid phone card?

All these thieving bastards are the same. But you know, making money on the backs of veterans is much more bastardly than making money by scaring Social Security recipients about Medicare and Medicaid.